The act allowing health benefits for state workers' partners in Michigan was not repealed by the republicans in the House.

The republicans said the state simply cannot have the money to provide the insurance - around $11 million annually.

This act extends health benefits to same-sex partners or other adults living with the state employees.

Ray Holman, who represents approximately 17,000 social workers of social service and other civils servant, said that he was relieved by the decision.

"We would not want the Civil Service Commission to be overturned," he said. "That hasn't happened before in recent memory. These types of things should be handled at the bargaining table. We negotiated it fair and square."

Lansing State Journal wrote that however, House Speaker Jase Bolger, a Marshall Republican, blasted Democrats for blocking Thursday's resolution and failing to address the state's fiscal crisis."The Civil Service Commission has been incredibly irresponsible, saddling taxpayers with $11 million in additional spending at a time when we are dealing with a huge deficit," Bolger said in a prepared statement.

As part of a budget proposal unveiled in February, Snyder said he would ask state employees for $180 million in concessions. Potentially, the same-sex benefits may be among the concessions sought.

Star Tribune Minnesota, following a survey, shows that the majority of people living in the state are opposed to a modification of the constitution to ban gay marriage.

It is 55% of people questioned who are against this amendment.

"We should have our own choices and abilities to chose what we want and not have someone categorize or label people because of their sexual orientation," said Adam Leistiko, Democrat of Edina which rejects this change.

For the moment, this amendment passed successfully the senate and unfortunately, it is expected to be voted by the House.

This poll showing the support of Minnesotans is very important because if the legislators approve the amendment, voters would be asked in the 2012 election whether the Constitution should be amended to "provide that only a union of one man and one woman" be recognized as marriage.

The Star Tribune explains Gov. Mark Dayton, a supporter of same-sex marriage, has no power to stop constitutional amendments. To amend the Constitution, questions need approval from a majority of lawmakers and then a simple majority of those voting in a general election.

]]>info@lezbelib.com (E-Li)News From The United-StatesTue, 17 May 2011 21:31:38 +0000Hawaii Could Pass Ban Of Discrimination Based On Gender Identityhttps://www.lezbelib.com/gender/hawaii-could-pass-ban-of-discrimination-based-on-gender-identity
https://www.lezbelib.com/gender/hawaii-could-pass-ban-of-discrimination-based-on-gender-identity

Hawaii is still advancing more and more LGBT rights, the Hawaii House voted a project of law which would protect from discriminations during employment based on the gender identity.

The law of Hawaii already protects transgenders in housing and public housing and prohibits discriminations based on sexual orientation in employment, housing and public housing. The Senate initially approved legislation HB 546 Sd1, then the House has just accepted it by a vote of 45-4 with 2 abstentions. The governor also indicated that he would sign it.

“Today is a great day for all residents of Hawaii,” said Alan Spector, Equality Hawaii co-chair.

“Providing employment protections to transgender people in Hawaii is a victory for civil rights. The people of this state should be judged on the quality of work they do and not on who they are — that’s what this legislation guarantees.”

It is today that the lawmakers of North Carolina were to study an amendment to ban gay marriage of the state's constitution and that's a bad news.

Not only the discussion was done but also the decision, the republicans lawmakers supported this amendment which is from now on in the House. It is possible besides that the House votes as of today.

Equality North Carolina indicated that it delivered almost 50,000 signed postcards from constituents to state legislators with one powerful message: "Keep Discrimination out of NC."

"This overwhelming number of constituent messages shows that North Carolinians are opposed to the distracting and divisive anti-gay constitutional amendment," said Equality North Carolina executive director Alex Miller.

Marylanders for Marriage Equality (Human Rights Campaign, Freedom to Marry and Equality Maryland) will try to push the legislation allowing the gay marriage in Maryland.

They intend in particular to launch a campaign in order for the law to pass not only the Senate but also the House.

"We all started running toward getting a bill passed without building a campaign in advance," said Del. Heather R. Mizeur (D-Montgomery), a leading advocate of the legislation to the Washington Post. This time, she said, "we’ll be running a very aggressive campaign that targets specific districts and regions where we need to shore up our vote count."

The advocates also try to have the support of the Governor Martin O' Malley.

The House of Minnesota placed an amendment to ban gay marriage in the November 2012 bundle. Minnesotans will be allow to decide if they want or not marriage equality.

The opposants said that they do not like where the amendment campaign could take Minnesota.

"Our campaign is hitting the ground running and we plan on using every resource available to defeat this anti-family constitutional amendment," said spokesman Donald McFarland of Minnesotans United for All Families.

If it passes, the constitutional amendment would prohibit gay marriage in Minnesota.

Tribune News reports Carly Melin, member of the newest House, worries about the children:

“Gay kids, gay teenagers, they don’t just live in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth...” she said. “They live all over our state.”

With tears in her eyes, she told about a young lesbian couple in her northeastern Minnesota area. One of the women operates a hotline “so teenagers and children could call her and talk to her about being gay and lesbian. She said the children were scared because of the way society treats gays and lesbians.”

A bill used to modify the constitution of Illinois in order to ban the marriage equality was apparently stopped, LGBT activists say.

State Senate President John Cullerton referred the bill to the senate subcommittee on constitutional amendments, which does not have any members. So there is no possibility of the measure passed by the senate and moved then to the house.

Rick Garcia is a long-time activist and a former member of Equality Illinois said in the Windy City Times: "subcommittees are where you put bills to die. And there are no members appointed to the subcommittee on constitutional amendments. The bill went to committee and it was quickly dispatched as it should have been."

Illinois already prohibits gay marriage but in a statutory way and not in a constitutional way. Moreover, Governor Pat Quinn authorized civil unions so the anti- gay-marriage people saw that like a first step towards the marriage equality and wished to stopped this by changing the constitution, but that flunked.